Oana Ruxandra will lead business development at Warner Music Group, with executive counsel, business affairs, strategic & digital initiatives Ron Wilcox leaving at the end of the year, Billboard has learned. Ruxandra will be reporting to WMG CEO Steve Cooper. No replacement has been announced yet for Wilcox.
"A talented negotiator and collaborative leader, Oana has a first-class strategic brain and keen sense of how to get deals done swiftly and effectively," wrote Cooper in an internal email obtained by Billboard. He added that Jonathan Monina had been tapped as vp, digital strategy & corporate development, reporting to Jeff Bronikowski on Ruxandra's team.
He also penned a note about Wilcox's departure. Wilcox -- who reported to WMG general counsel Paul Robinson -- notified Robinson that when he signed his most recent contract a few years back, it would be his last, as he would be finishing out a decade at WMG. "We all know that Ron will be as tough and determined a tactician as always over the coming months, but he will leave big shoes to fill," Cooper wrote. "During a remarkable 35+ year music-industry career, Ron has been a staunch defender of the rights of artists and labels, all the while helping to architect numerous landmark deals."